Strumming

[NTDG]

I have a problem with my strumming , it sounds like SH** is there anyone who can give me some guiding on how to make it sound perfect ????

[smfulla]

practice with a metronome

[NTDG]

Just what is a metronome ?

[smfulla]

it beeps, clicks, or flashes to let you know the tempo
and it keeps you in time.

[NTDG]

Its not that i can't keep a rhythm its just my strumming sucks , when the pick hits the strings

[55'gibby]

how are you holding the pick? how tight are you holding the pick? are your hands relaxed? how "deep" is the pick into the strings? are you strumming with your hands and wrist or with your whole forearm? go to the lesson on this site called first fret and check out how you compare to what they do (I realize everyone has their own style). strum slowly and evenly from the wrist and fingers (speed will come) watch your attack angle your should have a slight angle to your pick when you strum. don't have alot of pick sticking out of your fingers so you get a slapping sound.

[NTDG]

I looked through that section already but doesn't seem to work for me and i tryed holding the pick very loose and a little tighter at a time , but its like i just hit the strings very wrong :(

[55'gibby]

is the pick level to the angle of the strings (is the pick tipped to the neck side or the tailpiece side)? how does it sound when you use your thumb or finger to strum?

[barbietta]

I suck at strumming too I miss strings I should play, and hit strings I shouldn't. Strings from previous chords ring and muddy subsequent chords. I don't strum with any kind of consistent volume. And...I still suck at switching chords quickly and cleanly.

But...I can fingerpick like crazy! Go figure.

[slaughteredsoul]

count me in,strumming is my weak point,my fingers keep getting stuck between the strings(especially strumming up),strumming down isn't that big of a problem,i don't do it on time,i keep missing strings,my fingers are all over the place,it sounds like absolute crap,too much buzzing and missing strings or strumming strings i shouldn't, it's a mess!

[55'gibby]

I don't know what to tell any of ya's 'cept keep practicing....

[NTDG]

Ya UPSTRUMMING is a big problem for me SOMETIMES too but not always and thats what makes me sad , i want to be able to play pretty equal everyday not just have 1 good day out of a week , its not always been like this :(

[slaughteredsoul]

Same problem NTDG,some days i can't be better,and others its like i have twenty fingers getting in the way,but the only way out of this is practising,cause i noticed that i do get better,i still suck BIG TIME,but there is progress,slow progress,but i DO get better.
so listen to 55'gibby's advice and keep practising:)

[Pezcore]

gibby's right

the ONLY way to improve your strumming is constant practice

-Pez

[smfulla]

yep, and also just find a technique thatsa easy for you. You might wanna try using one finger like a pick

[barbietta]

Well, I'm comforted to know I'm not the only one having trouble. I've been playing for a whole 6 weeks now, so I have to be patient and keep practicing. I do see some slow, gradual improvement--just not as fast as I'd like, I guess!

[Pezcore]

just stick with it and it'll come.

give it time

[The Knave]

Temporarily ditch the pick. Use your thumb on the downstroke and your index finger on the upstroke. Pick something, (pardon the pun), with a slower tempo until you get your timing right.

A lot of people strum harder looking for volume on an acoustic.
It doesn't work.


Stick with it.

[smfulla]

knave, ur wrong about the harder strum for volume
it does actually cause a louder sound
physics proves it, the higher the peaks of the soundwaves i.e. the further the strings vibrate, the louder the sound will be

[SixStringMadman]

A good exercise for strumming that I used was Power Chord strumming.

Here are a few power chords to use.

Chord - [ E A D G B e]

F5 - [ 1 3 3 x x x ]
C5 - [ x 3 5 5 x x ]
D5 - [ x 5 7 7 x x ]
Bb5 - [ x 1 3 3 x x ]

And here is the pattern to play them in (strum them evenly, no odd strumming change-ups):

F5 - F5 - F5 -- C5 - C5 - C5 - C5 -- D5 - D5 - D5 -- Bb5 - Bb5 - Bb5 - Bb5 (repeat as many times as you want to)

((by the way, these are also the chords for "Glycerine" by Bush, so they sound good in that progression))

This may be a weird exercise, but it tought me how to strum "inside the strings", as I like to call it. Strumming without touching other strings is also easier to play if you use a strum involving a wrist-pivoting strum instead of the traditional forearm strum.

I would also try using a lighter pick. Sometimes when strumming with a stiff pick, I experience a "pick bounce" off of the strings, causing me to "mis-strum" the rest of the strings.

Other than that, and what the other guys suggested, I cannot think of anything else to suggest.

--SixStringMadman

[eische]

hmmm, well, like everything I do on the guitar, I do whatever feels comfortable (that doesn't mean that I totally neclect techniques, but, you know, just love what you do by feeling the most natural way to it).
I can't say that I'm really good at strumming (I simple don't like it too much eventhough it gives you a quick feeling of success), but I use my hole hand for it, like making a fist on the first/second string and then just open it up.
So mostly the middle and ring finger do the strumming downwards (@knave: didn't you mean it the other way round??????) and it always has the same speed and energy. For the way upwards I use only the thumb.

Like this you use the outer nail for the strumming and that prevents getting tangled up in the strings, I experienced.

The heavy things are, when it comes to strum just a few strings. With that I experiment a bit on what else is to play and which finger(s) I need for that. I have a flamenco pick, for example, and I need a downstroke on strings g,b,high-e on that. I use the pinky for it, because I need the other fingers for picking.
So I feel that there is no real obligue pattern. I change for the needs and only take care that whatever I do is easily repeatable with the same effect (I test that out beforehand and apart from the guitar).

[jcurner]

There's probably many things that would contribute to better strumming. I can tell you one thing that helped me right away: a softer pick. I only use .38 mm Jim Dunlop's now.

[muchavo]

try using your index finger nail for downs and your thumb fingernail for ups and put your fingers together like your holding a pick

also picture all your strings as one stringdont think about hitting a specific strings, just all of them

[homebrewer_99]

I don't even have fingernails and I can fingerpick. The only difference is my notes aren't bright, but more mellow and bassy. I don't recommend you start chewing your nails off to get a particular sound out of your guitar either.

It seems that you really have to work on your hand-hand (versus hand-eye)coordination.

It's been mentioned before so I'll reiterate...practice slowly.

Another trick I did when I started playing was play in the dark or with your eyes closed and visualize what and where your fingers should be. That includes finger picking. Give it a try. You may surprise yourself.

[ianb]

strum from the fingers and the wrist, not the elbow.

angle the plectrum so stat it flaps over the strings rather than hitting the strings flat on or tucked under.

/. . . . . . for a downstroke and . . . . . .\ for an upstroke.

Practise the strum in each direction so slowly that each string is made to sound individualy.

when you have strummed to the bottom of the strings, stop. This is not like golf where you want to play through the ball.

Thinner picks get caught in the strings less if you are not angling the pick to flap over the strings.

Your wrist joint needs to pivot side to side for the strum to keep the pick on the strings for the whole strum rather than lifting off too early or digging in part way through the strum.

These are a few general observations from trying to teach strumming.

Don't hit the strings with an abrupt thump, practice strumming across all the strings smoothly before you speed things up, or try to strum harder.

Bill's Ninja guitar in the dark techniques work very well, although I usually just get people to close their eyes.

[muchavo]

bill, playing the way i suggested don scew up your nails haha, the strings run across the top of your nail of your finger nail, maybe i explained it wrong?

[headbanger4life]

I have a problem with my strumming , it sounds like SH** is there anyone who can give me some guiding on how to make it sound perfect ????

how long have u been playing, anyway? :confused: